Pediatric brain surgery is an unusual specialty but available at CCMC in Hartford

HARTFORD — He may look like Santa Claus to kids, but Dr. Paul Kanev was cool under fire when Lillian Colon brought her 3-year-old son to the emergency room in May 2003. Little Zachary Colon was unconscious.

At the time Kanev was chief of neurosurgery at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The snowy-bearded doctor is now chief of neurosurgery at Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

The situation was critical. Zachary was born with hydrocephalus, a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. This can lead to swelling of the head and other complications. The traditional treatment is the insertion of a shunt at the base of the skull to drain the fluid.

Zach's had become blocked, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

"I remember it was 1:30 in the morning and this doctor, who looked like Santa Claus, was telling me there was no time to lose. He said Zach needed to be operated on immediately, or he wouldn't make it," said Colon, recalling the first time she met Kanev. "The way he took charge of the situation made me feel better. He inspires confidence. I knew Zachary was in good hands."

Kanev's compassion anddedication to the little ones is whyColon said she nominated him as aHometown Hero.

"Dr. Kanev saved our son's life with his magical hands that are truly blessed twice," Colon said. "He is a man that deserves to be acknowledged and praised."

Kanev's training makes him uniquely qualified to treat children. Chief of neurosurgery at Connecticut Children's Medical Center since 2007, Kanev is one of only two physicians in the country to be both a pediatrician and a neurosurgeon. The dual specialty gives him an advantage, he said.

"The main thing is that I share a common vocabulary with pediatricians, which helps me better understand the pediatric patient," Kanev said. "Operating on infants doesn't scare me, as it might some of my colleagues. My training as a pediatrician also helps me better advocate for children."

Kanev is a graduate of Temple University School of Medicine, and completed his internship at the University of Virginia, as well as doing a pediatric residency at the University of Washington. He completed his pediatric neurosurgery fellowship training at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Kanev was also director of pediatric neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit; surgical director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia; and chief of pediatric neurosurgery and co-director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Center at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

Despite such prestigious appointments, Kanev has a down-to-earth manner that seems to put children and parents at ease.

"He's not only a terrific surgeon, he a great person," Colon said. "You can tell he cares so much about people."

Kanev said he never loses sight of parents, and what they are going through.

"Handing your child over to a neurosurgeon is one of the greatest acts of trust," Kanev said. "I am always conscious of that. I need to make sure I have done my homework — to prepare the best way that I can."

Pediatric neurosurgery presents special challenges, Kanev said. "Children tolerate blood loss poorly, and they are more prone to infection," Kanev said. "On the other hand, kids have developing brains so there is a potential for very positive outcomes."

Surgery to correct birth malformations comprise about a third of Kanev's interventions, along with tumors and trauma surgery. There is also the surgical treatment of epilepsy, made possible through technological advances, such as improved MRI scanning.

Indeed, technology has revolutionized surgery, making procedures once thought impossible now a reality. Kanev said theintegration of imaging and surgery along with refinements in the endoscope have resulted in greater precision.

The latest endoscopes producing "finger-nail size" incisions allow for minimally invasive procedures, Kanev said.This hasled to breakthroughs in the treatment of hydrocephalus, enabling surgeons to create new passages in the brain, eliminating the need for shunts.

Zachary Colon, whom Kanev first operated on when he was 3, just turned 15. He recently underwent his 24th surgery. His mother said he is doing well.